Brickmaking machinery



Aug. 25,' 1925.

C. W. HARDWCK BRICKMAKING MACHINERY Filed Dec.

5 Sheets-Sheet l l i i I N VLNTOR.

Char e W. Hav eiwxck A TTRNE Y.

i A F l Aug. 25, 1925.

,55,695 C. W. HARDWICK BRIGKMAKING MACHINERY Filed DSC. 26, 1.922. 5 Shee3S-She6t 2 A TIORNEY.

C. W. HARDWICK BRICKMAKING MACHINERY Apg'. 25, 1925.

Filed Dec. 26, i922 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 PLAS-T5152 BLK ERTHENWARE APFARATUS Aug. 25, 1925. 1,550,696

C. W. HARDWICK BRICKMAKING MACHNERY Filed Dec. 26, 1922 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 f3.1 rnd.

R.. m n N l A TTORNE Y.

Chrxes W. Hardwick By/ Aug. 25, 192s. 1,550,696

C. W. HARDWICK B'RICKMAKING MACHINERY Filed Dec. 25. 1922 5 Sheetsi-lSheet 5 I N VEN TOR.

A TTORNE Y.

,RWC @LQCK g, E/-.RTHENWARE APPARATUS Patented ug- 25, 1925.

UNl'E'E STATES PATENT QFFICE.

BRICKMAKING MACHINERY.

Application filed December 26, 1922. Serial No. 609,025.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES W. HARD- WICK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Malvern, in the county of Hot Spring and State of Arkansas, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Brickmaking Machinery, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to brick making machinery and has for its object the provi.- sion of mechanism adapted to roughen and abrade the surface of the brick either for the purpose of facilitating their drying or of causing mortar to adhere more strongly thereto or of improving their appearance. In the manufacture of brick by the stift' mud process, wherein clay is extruded under high pressure through a die of the required size and shape to form a continuous clay bar which is then cut into individual bricks, the smoothing action of the die gives rise to two objectionable effects that an impervious surface layer or skin is formed which retards the escapey of moisture and a smooth and monotonous exterior is produced which does not adhere well to mortar and is not attractive to the eye when this surface is the one exposed. As a result the only surface of the brick which adheres well to mortar or which is artistic is the surface produced by the cutter and it is through this surface that practically all the evaporation of moisture occurs. The objects of my invention are the provision of a simple and compact apparatus whereby the surface of this clay may be roughened without impeding in any way the operation of the brick-making machine; the provision of an apparatus of this nature which shall be simple and practical to use in commercial brick plants; the provision of an apparatus of this nature which can readily be adjusted for different sizes of brick or different designs of marking or which can be used on either end cut or side cut bricks; while further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description proceeds.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this application I have shown one embodiment of my said invention although it will be understood that these drawings are intended to be merely illustrative of the general principles of my invention and not to restrict me to any particular details shown therein. In these drawings Fig.

l is a top plan view of my improved apparatus showing its relation to the clay-bar; Fig. 2 is a right-hand side elevation thereof; 60 Fig. 3 is a plan view' corresponding to the line 3-3 of Figs. l and 2; Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view corresponding to the line l1-4t of Figs. l and 3; Fig. 5 is a detail of one of the supports for the reciprocating rods; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the clay-bar after having been marked with one of the many patterns possible with this penetrating machine and indicating the mode of cutting therefrom the eventual bricks; Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the general mode of applying my apparatus to a brick machine of the end cut type; Fig. 8

is a series of views showing different designs possible to be obtained by the use of the apparatus herein shown; and Fig. 9 illustrates a series of cams by means of which different designs can be obtained.

Describing the parts by reference characters, attention being first directed to Fig. 7, l represents the body of a brick machine, 2 the die through which the clay is extruded,

3 the clay-bar which issues therefrom, and :t

an endless belt upon which this bar is received. 5 represents a cutting device which B5 severs the clay-bar into regular sections, each one of which constitutes a brick, and 6 represents a second endless belt operated at slightly higher speed which receives the bricks the instant they are severed and carries them away to the drying cars. The parts herein mentioned are common in some form to all brick machines of the stiff mud type, although differences exist in respect of the number of streams or bars issuing at one time, the mode of severing the same into bricks, and the relation of the severed brick to the bar itself, whether end-wise or sidewise. According to my invention a suitable marking or scratching device is located adllt) jacent the clay-bar between the die and cutting,` device so as to inscribe a predetermined design thereon, such a device being indicated generally at A in Fie". "l" and one c c* tail construction thereot being;` shown in Figs. l to hereof.

Rigidly secured upon opposite sides ot the belt et are the supporting toet 10-11 troni which rise the uprights l@ and 18, respectively, to whose upper ends are bolted the head members 11i-15, respectively, which are spaced apart and made rigid by the tierod 16. Each oli the uprights 12-13 is formed with a socket 17 which slidably receives the shank 18 ot an eye-bolt held in place by the set-screw 19, the inner end oli this bolt being pivotcd to an ear 2O carried by the base 21 ot a lleshaped member whose arms QQMQQ are apertured Ytor the slidable reception ot the vertically reciprocable rods 25E-*28 located one at each side otf the inachine. Above and below the eye-bolt 1.8 and parallel therewith are mounted the setscrews Qfl-Q/T. by means et which the meinbers 21-21 are adjusted into parallelism with the adjacent sides oli the clay-bar, while the reciprocable members 2%#23 are apertured tor a large number ot horizontal needles 25 held in place by suitable set screws 25 and adapted to engage such clay-bar as the same moves therepast.

rllhe adjacent faces ot the heads lelfAl) are formed with vertical parallel guide-ways E-30 in each ot which is a movable slide 31, such slide being Lto med with horizontal projecting` ears 32 and 33 which are connected together by tie rods Ell- 34 so as to constitute a kind et carriage. Jonrnaled in suitable bearings 35 carried by these slides is a cylindrical roller 36 which runs on the top of the clay-bar and raises and lowers the slide automatically in accordancel with the thickness thereof. CarriedL by each ot the ears 32 is a bearing member l() in which is slidably mounted the horizontal reciprocating' rod L11 which is thus maintained at a uniform distance and parallel to the claybar. rlhis rod Ll-l. is also formed with spaced apertures receiving the needles 4t2 adapted to engrave the clay bar, and held in place bv the set screws gt3. ln the present embodiment the member 4l() is termed with two slots so that two reciprocating rods l1 can be employed it desired, thereby increasing the number ot designs possible to be produced; but tor purposes ot clearness l have shown only one such rod and likewise it will be understood that the bearing' members 21-21 may be formed with plural slide-ways tor the same purpose.

Carried by the upper ends oli the nprigi'hts 1?#13 are the horizontal bearings i5 46, respectively, in which are journaled the rocksha'tts l? and 48, respectively. Secured to the ends ot these shafts are the horizontal arms 49 and 50, respectively, connected by reciprocating links 51, 52 to the adjacent reci procatin g rods and secured to the other ends `ot the shafts 17 and 4:8 are the dependinc' arms and 54, respectively,y connected to opposite ends ot the reciprocating rod 41 by the links 55, respectively. One of the shafts 4t? or 1-8 is also provided with an operating' arm 57 (here shown as a continuation et one ci the arms 49) to which is articulated the operating rod 58. rllhe opposite end ot this rod extends into operative relation with the cam, crank, eccentric, rocker, or the like device driven by some suitable source ot power as by beine,` connected to some part of the brick machine or some independent source oit power. 1n Figs. 7 and 9 l have shown a cam driven by an independent belt 61 and engagingV a suitable roller GQ carried by the rod 58, the advantage ot the cam being` its simplicity and the tact that the mere substitution ot different cams atiords a` large number `ot different designs, In this embodiment the down-stroke is caused b v the weight ot the rod 58 but this is merely a convenient arrangement.

rllhe operation ot the machine is as follows: rllhe clay-bar 3 is delivered by the brick machine in substantially unitorm size and at a. substantially unitorni` speed. and the operatu ing' rodl 58 is reciprocated at a speed determined by the revolution and contour oit the cam 80. The oscillatimis ot the rock-shaft 47 are communicated to the vertical rod 9.3 by the link 51 and to the horizontal rod 4:1 bv the link The rod l1 in turn oscillates the rock sha'tt it8 through the agency oi the link 58 and arm which in turn reciprorates the vertical rod 28 by the arm 50 and link The roller causes the rod 1li to rise and tall in accordance with the thickness the day-bar. thereby causing` the needles l2 to penetrate the same in aI uniform inanner but without interfering with the reciprocation ot this rod or its communicating' the movement ot the shaft 48. inasmuch as the two sides ot the. clay-bar are engraved at the same time there is no tendency to deflect the saine trom its proper path`r but rather to hold the saine thereto.

The pattern traced on the clayar depends upon the number and arrangement of the needles, the relative speed ct the cam 60 and clay-bar 8 and the contour ot the cam. Thus with a plain eccentric cani, each needle will generate a sine-curve whose length depends upon the relative speed of the cam and clay-bar. and in case there be but one row ot needles in each rod the pattern traced will he that shown at ff l and in Fig. 8. lt a second row oi: needles be employed as illustrated in these drawings, a second similar curve identical with the tirst but differ-I ent in phase will be produced with the production et an interlocking design as shown secca mammie/aas abraza/true at a in Fig. 8. Merely by changing the relative speed of the cam or the amplitude of it-s movement it is possible to secure the patterns shoivn at t c, d and e, While by changing its contour it is possible to secure numerous other shapes, one of Which is suggested at f. Various different shapes of cam are shown at 60a, 60h, 60C, etc., in Fig. 9, and by a suitable selection of the same and the use of a larger or smaller number of needles either in the same roW or in different rows (used even upon different rods as hereinbefore suggested) it is possible to secure an endless number of designs, all hoiveverl having the same ultimate effect of giving al matte surface to the brick improving its artist-ic appearance, increasingl the adhesion of mortar thereto, and facilitating its drying so as materially to decrease the amount of fuel necessary to make the same. It is desirable, however, that none of the needles shall at any time cross any of the longitudi nal edges of the clay-bar lest they tear out t-he corners and produce a mutilated brick.

It Will be understood that l do not limit myself to the details of construction of the apparatus herein shown nor to the specific design and arrangement of its parts, nor to the mode of connecting and driving the different elements thereof, nor to the use of my apparatus solely With nevvly pressed or stiff mud bricks, noi;l in any other manner except as specifically recited in the claims hereto annexed, since numberless changes can be made in all such features Within the scope of my invention which is limited only by the prior state of the art.

What I claim is:

l. The combination With a conveying belt adapted to convey a plastic clay article, of a plurality of harrowing points past Which said belt moves, means for holding said points from moving along said belt While permitting them to move at right angles thereto, and a gauging device movable With said points and limiting their entrance into the clay bar.

2. The combination With a machine adapted to produce a bar of plastic clay of a plurality of pointed devices supported in position to contact the faces of said bar as it moves along, and a roller operatively connected to certain of said devices and engaging a face of said clay bar to limit the insertion of said pointed devices therein.

3. rlhe combination With a machine adapted to produce a bar of plastic clay of a plurality of pointed devices supported in part by said bar in position to contact the faces of said bar as it moves along, and means for moving said points' periodically in a plane parallel to the face of the bar which they contact.

4. The combination With a conveying belt for a rectangular article of plastic clay,

of a plurality of members located adjacent to said belt and parallel to the respective faces of said article, pointed devices carried by each of said members adapted to engage the surface of said article nearest thereto, and means for moving each of said members as' said article moves therepast to form il terlaced scratches on said articles.

The combination With a conveying belt for a rectangular article of plastic clay, of a supporting member located adjacentto the exposed face of said article, means for supporting said member upon the upper face of said article pointed devices carried by said member adapted to scratch the adjacent face of said article, and means for actuating said member to move said devices cross-Wise the direction of travel of said article.

6. The combination, With a brick machine having a conveyor for a clayebar, of a roller adapted and arranged to run on said bar, a carriage supported by said roller, and pointed devices carried by said carriage arranged and adapted to scratch the clay bar.

7. The combination with a brick machine having a conveyor for a clay-bar, of a carriage, a member carried by said carriage and movable relatively thereto, pointed devices carried by said member and adapted to scratch the clay bar, a roller journaled to said carriage and running against the clay bar to gauge the insertion of said points, and means for moving said member laterally of the path of travel of said claybar.

8. rlhe combination With a brick machine having` a conveyor for a clay-bar, of a reciprocating rod supported parallel to one face of said clay-bar and transversely of its direction of movement, a plurality of pointed devices carried by said rod arranged and adapted to scratch said clay-bar, and means for reciprocating said rod as the clay bar moves past it.

9. rlhe combination With a brick machine havinga conveyor for a clay-bar, of a'plurality of reciprocable rods supported parallel to different faces of said clay bar and transversely of its direction of movement, a plurality of pointed devices carried by each rod arranged and adapted to scratch said clay-bar, operative connections between said rods, and means for reciprocating all said rods as said clay-bar is moved past the same.

lO. The combination with a brick machine having a conveyor for a clay-bar, of a plurality of reciprocable rods supported parallel to different faces of said clay-bar and transversely of its direction of movement, a plurality of pointed devices carried by each rod and adapted to scratch said clay-bar, a carriage for one of said rods movable tovvard and from the bar, a roller journaled to said carriage and runningl against said bar, operative connections between said rods, and means for reciprocating all said rods.

lL The Combination with a brick machine having a eonveyoi.' 'for a clay-bar, of a pair olf npriglits located at opposite sides of suoli conveyor, a vertically reeiprooable rod oari'ied by each uprightj a Carriage slidably inounted between said upriglits, means for gauging the position of said carriage above tlio oonveyoi7 a horizontally reeiprocable rod carried by said carriage, operative oonneetions between said rods, pointed devices carried by said rods for scratching the claybar, and means for reciprocating said rods.

ln testimony whereof, I hereunto alliX iny signature.

CHARLES iV. HARDVVClQ 

